Education

How do families arriving from Ukraine apply for a school place and childcare? / Як родинам, що приїжджають з України, подавати заяви на отримання місць у школі та допомоги з оплати послуг з догляду за дитиною? - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)

• The UK Government has set up two schemes to support those fleeing the war, the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine.
• All children and young people arriving under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine have the right to access state education whilst in the UK. Attending school is vital in helping children integrate into the communities in which they are living.
• Ukrainian parents will apply for a school place through the in-year admissions process. We have worked with DLUHC on developing a ‘welcome pack’ for Ukrainian migrants with details of the education offer and guidance on navigating the education system. General advice on school admissions can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions
• To support schools’ efforts, Oak National Academy have rolled out an auto-translate function across all 10,000 of its online lessons, meaning Ukrainian children can access education in their native language.
• We have ensured Ukrainians have access if they need it to the same childcare entitlements, as well as university and college courses as a UK citizen.

In light of the introduction of digital solutions for right to work and DBS checks on 6 April 2022, the REC would like to clarify the position for REC Audited and REC Audited Education/CCS suppliers:

• The Home Office have confirmed that adjusted (digital) right to work checks will now remain in place until 30 September 2022 to allow employers time to embed the new system (a permanent digital solution for right to work checks)
• In light of this extension, REC Audited and REC Audited Education/CCS suppliers can continue to see other worker documentation eg. qualifications virtually during this time
• From 6 April 2022 employers will be able to use Identification Validation Document Technology (IDVT) to carry out digital right to work checks on British and Irish citizens and similarly, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) will enable digital checking within their criminal record checking process
• If you wish to switch to these processes from 6 April 2022, this is acceptable for REC Audited and REC Audited Education/CCS suppliers
• We are currently reviewing the REC Audited and REC Audited Education criteria to ensure that it is aligned with the new provisions for right to work and DBS checks and are also in discussions with CCS about the changes.  We will provide further updates in due course
• REC is keen to pursue virtual checks as the way forward and will continue to push for this as a permanent change

CCS has published the invitation to tender for the new CCS framework for schools due to take effect from July this year. The tender process opened on 21st February 2022 and will remain open to agencies wishing to apply until 3pm on 18 March 2022. Information on the tender process and how to submit a bid can be found on the government's Find a Tender and Find a Contract services.

7th January 2022

As part of the DfE’s campaign to encourage supply teachers back into schools they have produced a toolkit to assist suppliers and agencies. This toolkit contains digital assets that you can use across your communications channels to help promote the government’s call to action on supply teaching. These include digital banners in different formats for use on your website or emails and images for social media activity. All use the DfE’s Get Into Teaching branding.

The DfE have also included a downloadable version of their FAQs that you can both publish or share with potential sign ups to help them understand the process.

If you have any feedback on the toolkit, please let us know so we can pass relevant feedback on to the DfE.

17 September 2021

Following the Home Office decision to retain virtual right to work checks until April 2022, the REC would like to clarify the position for REC Audited Education holders and CCS suppliers in terms of interviewing and seeing original documents.  Please note that this update replaces all previous updates around this issue.

• Both REC Audited Education holders and CCS suppliers must carry out face to face interviews but this can be done either virtually or in person
• CCS have confirmed that, in light of the Home Office decision to extend the ability to carry out right to work checks virtually until 5 April 2022, other worker documentation can also continue to be checked virtually until this time.  CCS confirmed this by way of an update to all suppliers on 17 September 2021
• This is an interim relaxation to the framework terms and CCS reserve the right to review this approach earlier than 5 April 2022 should they receive any new government guidance or any information that impacts safeguarding
• If you hold REC Audited Education (and are not on the CCS framework), REC can confirm that the same position applies and worker documentation can continue to be checked virtually until further notice by REC
• REC is keen to pursue virtual checks as the way forward and is pleased with this outcome for both REC Audited Education holders and CCS suppliers.  We will continue to push to make this a permanent change

What is changing?

From September 2021, statutory induction for new teachers will change as part of the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms. Subject to parliamentary procedure, all early career teachers in England undergoing statutory induction will be entitled to 2 years of high-quality professional development support based on the ECF. Previously, the induction period was one year.

For an over view of the changes coming into force see: Early career framework reforms: overview.

Can supply teachers count time on ‘short’ assignments towards the 2 year induction period?

While supply teachers can work for short periods without having completed the induction, the time worked on that basis will not count towards induction.

See 2.13 of the statutory guidance: Induction for early career teachers (England)

Can supply teachers count time on ‘long’ assignments towards the 2 year induction period?

It is possible for supply teachers to count time on longer assignments towards their 2 year induction period but guidance states that the assignment would have to be at least one for term in length.

2.32 The minimum period that can be counted towards completion of the induction period (for both full-time and part-time ECTs) is continuous employment equivalent to one term (based on an institution that operates three terms in a school year). This applies to both permanent and long-term supply teaching posts.

It also reflects the need for each ECT to work in a stable environment and receive a supported and pre-planned induction programme. In addition, it is important that the ECT is in post long enough to be able to receive sufficient monitoring and feedback and prepare for a fair and reasonable assessment of their performance. It would be very difficult to do this against all of the Teachers’ Standards over a period of less than one term.

Any assignments that are shorter than one full term will not count towards induction. And short term assignments which are subsequently extended and end up lasting one full term might go towards it, depending on the circumstances. An induction programme will have to be put in place by the school as soon as the term begins and if the teacher only finds out, say 4 or 5 weeks into term that they will be there for the full term it might be too late depending on the schools resources etc.

The management of the induction will be down to the individual school and the guidance details how it will work in practice, see 3.14 ECTs completing induction in more than one institution simultaneously.

Following queries around checking the qualification status of teachers who have qualified overseas post-Brexit, the Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) have published the Country Evidence Table. The TRA created this table to help QTS applicants know what evidence they would need for their application, but the DfE have confirmed to the REC that this is the most useful reference for agencies requiring evidence of qualifications for overseas teaching applicants. The Country Evidence Table contains a list of countries, and what evidence would need to be provided by candidates from those countries to demonstrate they have qualified. The list is not exhaustive, but does cover most of Europe, as well as USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This table will be updated on a regular basis and we have updated our Recruitment, Selection and Vetting Policy to include details of the reference table.

Following the REC's letter to the Department for Education (DfE) on their decision to remove access for employment businesses to TP Online for barred list checks, the REC has spoken with the DfE regarding these changes and their impact on the industry.

During the conversation, the DfE made it clear that it is not possible to delay the implementation of these changes and therefore from 1st April agencies will no longer be able to access the sole barred list checks. This is because the contract with Capita to provide this service expired on 31^st March, and could not be extended beyond this date.

What this means for agencies providing supply teachers to schools is that they will only be able to supply existing candidates for whom they have a full and valid enhanced DBS with barred list check already. Under the old system, an agency would have been able to place a candidate whose DBS was pending by doing a sole barred list check on that candidate. There will no longer be a mechanism in place for an agency to do this. New candidates who register with an agency will only be able to be placed in schools once an enhanced DBS with barred list check has been completed.

There is also no mechanism for a school to do the barred list check for the supply teacher on an agency's behalf as schools will only be able to access the check for their own employees, which agency workers are not.

The DfE have stated that the change to barred list access is based on the legal requirements set out in the School Staffing Regulations and Independent School Standards Regulations, which apply directly to schools. These regulations do not provide any statutory obligations on agencies to conduct stand-alone barred list checks.

Given the short notice at which these changes are being implemented, the DfE is keen to gather information on the impact this will have in the education recruitment sector. If you are able to provide data to the REC about how these changes will impact your ability to provide candidates at short notice and are happy for this to be shared with the DfE, then please email patrick.milnes@rec.uk.com to provide any relevant data.

Removal of access to TP Online

On 19 March, the Department for Education sent out a letter informing agencies that their ability to access TP online, and perform a barred list check was being removed. Following this decision, the REC has written to the DfE asking them to reconsider and reverse their decision on this to ensure agencies can continue to supply teachers to school safely and efficiently.

Given the short timeframe between the initial letter, and the proposed implementation date of 31st March, the REC has urged the DfE to respond to our letter urgently to ensure agencies are not left in a difficult position. Read the letter.

Update to the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme

Under the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme workers that have been asked to self isolate, that are on a low income, unable to work from home and who will lose income as a result (of having to self isolate) may be entitled to a payment of £500 from their local authority.

When the scheme was first introduced one of the conditions for claiming the £500 support payment was that the individual must have been advised to self isolate by NHS Test and Trace.

The REC has been advised by BEIS that a change has been introduced to the scheme and individuals who are eligible can now claim the £500 where their employer has advised them to isolate.

Where individuals have been asked to self isolate by the school they are currently working in, the school should provide the individual’s personal details to NHS Test and Trace to allow them to provide the individual with an NHS Test and Trace Account ID, which will allow them to apply for the support payment from their Local Authority.

To support this, the Department for Health and Social Care has launched the Self-Isolation Service Hub (020 3743 6715), a phone line open 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm, allowing a school to provide contact details of those individuals who have been asked to self isolate.

The process is as follows:

1. The school learns of a positive test for an individual within the school
2. A staff member at the school should speak with the person(s) who have received a positive test and note their NHS Test and Trace Account Number
3. The school determines which staff should self-isolate and informs the individuals.
4. The school should collate the contact details of these individuals
5. A staff member at the school contacts the self-isolation hub on 020 3743 6715 and provides the hub with
   1. The NHS Test and Trace Account ID of the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19
   2. The contact details of the individuals who have been asked to self-isolate
6. NHS Test and Trace will then contact the individuals to formally advise them of their need to self isolate and provide them with an NHS Test and Trace Account ID
7. Individuals who are not able to work from home and who are not being paid may claim for a self isolation payment through their local authority.

BEIS have confirmed that the procedure applies to ‘anyone on assignment in a school environment’, i.e. it includes supply teachers.

Workers that are eligible for the scheme will receive the payment on top of any other benefits or SSP that they currently receive - in line with the eligibility criteria.

 The scheme will run until 31 January 2021.

Coronavirus guidance and support

We understand it is a very challenging time for the sector, and that members have some questions around what Covid-19 means for you. As well as our Coronavirus Hub, with a wealth of general guidance and support. We have also developed an Education Sector Specific FAQ document. 

We are aware that NASUWT has written to several members about Statutory Sick Pay for supply teachers. Please download our suggested template response (it opens as a word doc).

Union-led campaign against education agencies

Following our initial response to the campaign by the NEU and NASUWT regarding the use of agencies in the education sector, we have produced this letter for agencies to send to their clients directly.

We urge members to send this letter to your clients, to reiterate the important role that agencies play in the education sector, and to highlight the issues with the proposed changes in the unions’ campaign.

Post-Brexit suitability check

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, there have been changes as to how agencies should conduct a suitability check for a teacher arriving from Europe, including changes to what documentation an agency is required to view. For information on what has changed, and the new guidance please view this helpsheet.